All under Heaven DLC: A Wu Zetian like playstyle?

[Wise Strategist]

For those familiar with history, Wu Zetian was a Chinese concubine who rose to the position of Empress and even founded her own dynasty around the time of Tang Dynasty, that will likely be introduced in "All Under Heaven DLC".

So I was wondering will it be possible for players to play through or emulate Wu Zetian's path to power. Starting as an unlanded concubine and rising through the ranks of the imperial harem to the level of Empress and maybe take overtake the reigning dynasty and found your own? Do you think it would make for an interesting play style.

The ability to play a landless character opens the door for it through special landless titles like those of accolades or viziers.

 

[The Shacks]

Was she the one that had the chap who stuck his thing through a block of wood to entice her. Or was that an Empress that had an affair, I cannae remember.

 

[Videogames]

If Admin gov is an indication, you could be a female noble house head and marry the emperor while continuing to run your own family estate. But you're not going to be able to play as an outright commoner entering the harem and getting by through your wits and diplomacy. CK is a game where you're always the leader of something, whether it's a county or a band of adventurers.

 

[Videogames]

Was she the one that had the chap who stuck his thing through a block of wood to entice her. Or was that an Empress that had an affair, I cannae remember.

There were an unusually high number of reigning female monarchs in the sinosphere in the 7th-8th century, and probably all of them have sexual slanders recorded against them. I haven't heard that particular one for Wu Zetian though.

 

[Wise Strategist]

If Admin gov is an indication, you could be a female noble house head and marry the emperor while continuing to run your own family estate. But you're not going to be able to play as an outright commoner entering the harem and getting by through your wits and diplomacy. CK is a game where you're always the leader of something, whether it's a county or a band of adventurers.

In case of the Imperial harem, a concubine could be the leader of an inner court palace with a number of ladies in waiting under her command, as well as possibly any imperial children she has with the reigning emperor.

 

[WTH666444]

In case of the Imperial harem, a concubine could be the leader of an inner court palace with a number of ladies in waiting under her command, as well as possibly any imperial children she has with the reigning emperor.

Could, but I‘d be very, very surprised if it happened.

 

[DiabloDeVille]

If Admin gov is an indication, you could be a female noble house head and marry the emperor while continuing to run your own family estate. But you're not going to be able to play as an outright commoner entering the harem and getting by through your wits and diplomacy. CK is a game where you're always the leader of something, whether it's a county or a band of adventurers.

They could let you be a baron tier imperial concubine

 

[Flockingbird]

According to this TLDR of the Chapter IV video, there is no special focus on harem mechanics:

4. No special focus in Harem mechanics

I have not watched the vid so cannot confirm.

 

[AHumpierRogue]

Sadly Harem is not a thing for AuH which seems like a pretty big oversight. Hopefully in the future we can get a big Harem expansion.

 

[DiabloDeVille]

According to this TLDR of the Chapter IV video, there is no special focus on harem mechanics:

I have not watched the vid so cannot confirm.

China dlc has no harem, the steppe dlc had few turkic features, will the coronations dlc lack papal coronations?

 

[Will Steel]

Wu Zetian gained power in a series of phases. CK can replicate some, but not all, of those phases.

Spoiler

- starts as a junior concubine from a rich and prestigious family sent to the old Emperor Taizong, unlike other women of the time Wu Zetian had grown up as an excellent reader and writer and had a deep knowledge of bureaucracy and politics (and even horse riding and military stuff)

- gains a lead over other rival concubines, breaks gender norms of the time by actually working in imperial bureaucracy from the palace, gains many political connections

- was already banging the emperor's son/crown prince in secret, becomes Empress-Consort and main wife of that prince when he becomes Emperor Gaozong, thus getting involved in politics, long reign follows

- later when Emperor Gaozong falls ill and becomes increasingly bedridden, she gains more and more power and eventually becomes his appointed regent

- her sons are brought up under her strict influence and control

- Emperor Gaozong dies, their son the next crown prince ascends the throne as Emperor Zhongzhong, but Wu Zetian refuses to give up power, continues the regency and she essentially rules China

- Emperor Zhongzhong plots to regain power, marries a woman from a powerful family, the new empress wants to usurp control from Wu Zetian, together they start disobeying and resisting her authority

- Wu Zetian promptly dethrones her own son and exiles him (with an actually serious threat of execution lol), then puts her other younger son on the throne as Emperor Ruizong, continues the regency and still rules China herself

- starts an affair with a politically powerful monk, basically has all the court, governors and military officers loyal to herself

- Emperor Ruizong continues to live in the palace as a ceremonial, powerless, puppet emperor

- Wu Zetian finally dethrones her son again, and becomes Empress herself

CK2 and CK3 have mechanics for regents to take over rulership themselves, but it doesn't work in the same exact way, especially in administrative realms where it actually happened with some frequency (not just in China, but also Rome, India, Persia, Arabia and Japan). Plus, I have never managed to fully get how it works, it is not very clear.

A nice way to go about it would be to have three clearly well explained (but hard to achieve) paths - firstly for player/AI characters to achieve regent title and then slowly take power; secondly for rulers to push back and regain power against entrenched regents; and finally a way for a third-party warlord (or relative of the imperial family) to insert themselves into the mix and use the political confusion to seize power themselves.

 

[Videogames]

CK2 and CK3 have mechanics for regents to take over rulership themselves, but it doesn't work in the same exact way, especially in administrative realms where it actually happened with some frequency (not just in China, but also Rome, India, Persia, Arabia and Japan). Plus, I have never managed to fully get how it works, it is not very clear.

A nice way to go about it would be to have three clearly well explained (but hard to achieve) paths - firstly for player/AI characters to achieve regent title and then slowly take power; secondly for rulers to push back and regain power against entrenched regents; and finally a way for a third-party warlord (or relative of the imperial family) to insert themselves into the mix and use the political confusion to seize power themselves.

I do expect that regency mechanics will get another pass and some expanded functionality for AUH for the sake of implementing Japan. They've referred to playing as the kampaku, which signals that intent.

 

[FondMemberofSociety]

Was she the one that had the chap who stuck his thing through a block of wood to entice her.

More specifically, that bloke stuck his thing through a wooden grinding wheel, you know, something like this:

The empress involved wasn't Wu Zetian though, that was the mother of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang. Though he wasn't emperor before he killed her.

 

[The Shacks]

More specifically, that bloke stuck his thing through a wooden grinding wheel, you know, something like this:
View attachment 1291860
The empress involved wasn't Wu Zetian though, that was the mother of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang. Though he wasn't emperor before he killed her.

HAH thank you. I knew I hadn't imagined that little historical tidbit.

 

[Will Steel]

I do expect that regency mechanics will get another pass and some expanded functionality for AUH for the sake of implementing Japan. They've referred to playing as the kampaku, which signals that intent.

That, and Japanese history is crazy enough with multiple layers of ceremonial rulers that they had a regent for the regent.

By the end of the game's timeline it has gone beyond that - there is the now-powerless and ceremonial Emperor (Tenno), followed by the ceremonial imperial regent supposedly ruling on his behalf (Kampaku) who is commanding the completely powerless and ceremonial Prime Minister/Chancellor running the government (Daijodaijin), followed by the actual regent actually running the country (Shogun/Taiko). And then even Shoguns for a while became ceremonial and had their own regents (Shikken) actually ruling the country as actual rulers for centuries and defeated the Mongols and so on ...until their authority collapsed and the regency for the Shoguns became a normal office only activated during times of need (or split up into a regency council).

And we aren't even talking about retired emperors (Daijotenno) actually holding all the power, or retired regents or even retired Shoguns (Ogosho) holding all the power and actually running the coutnry. Even Roman politics never this complicated lol.